MERCEDES-BENZ CARS USES WINDMILL ENERGY FOR PRODUCTION E-CARS

Mercedes-Benz Cars together with Statkraft is taking the first step on the road to realising a CO2-neutral energy supply of the German plants. The power purchase agreement enables Mercedes-Benz Cars to source electricity directly from wind farms in Germany.

In doing so Mercedes-Benz Cars Mercedes-Benz Cars ensures the economical operation of existing windmill farms because the subsidies from the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) expire after 2020. The German car manufacturer is contributing this way to achieving the climate goals in Germany set in the German energy transition (German “Energiewende”).

Norwegian energy provider Statkraft, Europe's largest producer of renewable energy, supplies the renewable energy from six community-owned wind farms. The power will be used to supply the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen as well as to the German battery production locations such as Kamenz and Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. "We want to supply all our German plants with CO2-neutral energy by 2022. As the first industrial company in Germany, we are using electricity from six wind farms and thereby ensure their continued operation already today. In doing so, we are taking an important step in realising our CO2-neutral production operations and are underscoring our social responsibility", says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Management Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain.

The six wind farms with 31 turbines generate about 74 GWh a year and have an installed capacity of 46 MW. Commissioned between 1999 and 2001, their subsidies through the Renewable Energy Act will run out after 20 years. After the agreement comes into effect, the green power produced in the wind farm will be fed into the grid and simultaneously drawn from the grid by the Mercedes-Benz plants. The electricity production is staggered in accordance with the different ends of the EEG subsidy for the individual installations. The plan calls for 33.1 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2021. In the years 2022 to 2024, it is expected to have 74 million kWh and for 2025, the agreement provides for a delivery of 21.8 million kWh. This green power will be used for the production of the EQC electric car at the Mercedes-Benz Bremen plant.